Driving 3 miles to beach and fined £200

[nancybotwinbloom]

A friend of a friend drove three miles to her nearest beach and took her newborn for a walk in the pram.

She was surrounded by police and fined £200.

This was today.

I think it must of been scary to be surrounded by police with the pram and the newborn. Surely only one of them needed to speak to her. Not mob handed. Or are they all unreasonable?

Is it unreasonable to drive three miles for a walk? I'm at a point now I can't work out what's local and what's not. I don't think she was in the wrong in all honesty.

Or is it that she drove there that it's not local enough.

I walk nearly three miles to the park with the dog and walk through the park and walk back most days and I don't think I am unreasonable?

What is local classed as these days?

[Elai1978]

The thing is she didn't NEED to drive though did she?

It doesn’t matter whether she needed to or not. English law is quite clear.

[GettingUntrapped]

@nicknacky Yes, you are right, there are many potential reasons for the police cars in the park. Maybe I'm just a bit weirded out with this whole shebang.

[LucyLockdown]

Six police officers surrounded her!!!

Yeah that definitely happened. And 'It was a work colleague of my friend' is not exactly a reliable source, OP.

What a load of absolute ridiculous bollocks. It's guidance not law - the most that would happen would be one or two police offers would issue her with some advice. Tell your friend and yourself and some posters not to be so easily taken in by utter guff.

[bearandowl]

This probably is true. I've seen video footages of large numbers of policemen arresting lone women and pensioners for highly questionable reasons. One was of 25 police officers surrounding and arresting a woman in London earlier this month.

[CriticalWoman]

I'd be inclined not to believe this if it were not for the Derbyshire police debacle.
@Santaiscovidfree the point is that the law doesn't stop her driving 3 miles to exercise so she cannot be fined for doing so.

[LizFlowers]

Absolute nonsense, three miles is local and you are right, it didn't take several police officers to question her. I certainly would have been frightened by that, it was sheer intimidation.

I hope your friend challenges it.

[peak2021]

The government should have said that exercise starts and ends at your front door, no driving for exercise at all. Simple to understand, no inconsistency.

And those who break it should have to appear in court, and face justice, and the opportunity to provide mitigating evidence or argue for leniency. The police should not be judge and jury.

[DeciduousPerennial]

@nancybotwinbloom

If it comes up in the echo I will screen shot it.

For those who say it didn't happen, like I say, I wasn't there, my best mate told me today this happened to the lady she works with. I can only say what she told me her work mate told her.

I occasionally go the same beach early in the morning with the dog when it's dead. It was more of a warning to me.

I thought I'd post on here to let people know that's all.

Let them know what though? That someone might have been fined for maybe doing something?

It’s not in any way helpful, and in fact only serves to set the shit pot bubbling.

Even if it gets reported in the local news, it still doesn’t mean it happened in the way it’s been reported.

[Livelovebehappy]

The exercise thing though is different to essential travel. Those on here saying they travel further than this to their nearest supermarket are allowed, as their journey is to get in an essential food shop.

[bigbird1969]

FFS we are in lockdown, walks are allowed howeverwhy is this person driving to a beach? No wonder the police spoke to her as she could have been one of the many that thinks rules dont apply to them and driven miles. Its not an essential journey, her newborn wont have a bloody clue there in a beach. A walk out the front door and a wander round the local area would suffice.

[Grenlei]

I don't see how 3 miles isn't within anyone's definition of local. My supermarket is 5 miles away. For that matter my support bubble is 200 miles away (travel there EOW, not been stopped yet).

Surely the police have actual crimes to be investigating?!

[DimidDavilby]

Do they have nothing better to do than bully new mums. They should be investigating all the businesses not allowing people to WFH. I hope she goes to the press.

[mindutopia]

I have to drive 3 miles to get to a shop.

[LApprentiSorcier]

When she was first approached by the police, how did she react? I've seen some clips online of this kind of situation where people have been what I can only describe as goady when asked to explain themselves, refusing to give details and so on. If your friend refused to tell them where she lived, for example, they'd have no way of knowing whether her journey was reasonable. The situation might have escalated.

[Elai1978]

No wonder the police spoke to her as she could have been one of the many that thinks rules dont apply to them and driven miles.

Not sure what rules you think they are? I can drive 100 miles for exercise if I really want to, it’s not against the law.

[MrsDThomas]

Is it local but the fact us she drove there. That is the issue.

My colleague told me yesterday of her mum’s friend who drove to the beach -she lives 1.5 miles from there -and was told by police to take the car home and walk there. I know know the ins and outs but i dont know she suffers from a bad back and cant walk far but its getting beyond ridiculous now.

I can easily walk to my local beach. Its 5 miles there and 5 back but s 10 mile walk is something i can easily do on a Saturday afternoon. Ive done it loads of times. To my its local and an easy walk

[Lucieintheskye]

@ghostyslovesheets

okay - so that happened

but anyway rather than driving to walk - maybe just walk?

Some people don't live in safe areas to walk. I used to live somewhere with terribly uneven pavements and I'm disabled so would have had to drive somewhere with even paths.
Those who are able shouldn't be driving unless necessary but they like to push the boundaries to feel they have some freedom

[Santaiscovidfree]

Why would she want to risk a baby? Or herself? If her car broke down or a crash who wants paramedics near them unnecessarily? Go travel - add to the people who live where you go.. Add to their positive cases..
Our carparks are full. Our beach is full. Not locals.

[Nicknacky]

@DimidDavilby Do you believe everything that is posted on mumsnet is true or do you never use some critical thinking that maybe, just maybe this might not be accurately posted?

[blackheartsgirl]

We can get fined in wales for driving to exercise. The message here is quite simple exercise must begin and end at home and police have been patrolling everywhere where I am.

Its rubbish but those are the rules.

[Oblomov20]

Eh? surely 3 miles is within the guidelines?

[Elai1978]

they'd have no way of knowing whether her journey was reasonable

The police don’t need to know where you live to ascertain whether your journey is reasonable. The reasonableness test is satisfied by telling them that you are exercising.

[alltheadrenalin]

This can't be real

[LostFrog]

I find it very hard to believe that that is true. Surely the police have better things to do.

[Walkingthedog46]

I am elderly, live alone and my support bubble (my daughter) lives 11 miles away. Is this too far under the current regs either for me to visit her or vice versa? I’ve looked on line and can’t find a definitive answer.